President's Message — Nazila Amighi, LMFT

Life is balance of holding on and letting go.
Rumi

As we say goodbye to Summer and start the Fall season, we notice trees starting to let go of their leaves in order to make way for new ones. Every life transition seems to invite an experience of acceptance for change in order to proceed to new growth. This acceptance could mean letting go of the hopes for certain outcomes or holding on to being in the moment and noticing the growth that has taken effect by the change.

As the end of the year approaches, I am noticing that it is getting closer to the end of my term as president. This observation invites me to consider which goals I need to hold on to and which to amend, or possibly let go of altogether. I want to hold on to and celebrate all the positive changes and growth achieved by our Board, so far this year. I also look forward to those positive changes yet to happen in the next few months. At the beginning of the year, one of my goals was to increase our chapter membership. I am happy to report that our membership has indeed increased. I have been speaking about SFV-CAMFT and the benefits of joining our chapter at various universities and clinics and inviting clinicians to become part of our SFV-CAMFT community. I was surprised to discover that very few of them were aware of these benefits. One of the benefits I mentioned was that by serving our community and by being part of the Board of SFV-CAMFT, they can create deep connections with similar-minded clinicians. As clinicians, we all experience challenges and come to crossroads when helping clients, thus through these connections, members can get support for these challenges and dilemmas, as well as find additional resources and services by forming consultation groups or other networks.

One of my most challenging decisions this year was establishing the Board for the upcoming year in concert with the nominating committee. Even though the committee was formed to help create next year's Board by confirming eligibility and selecting the nominations for our incoming 2019 Board of Directors, I could not help but feel the responsibility of finding the person that would be the best fit for each position. I am happy to report that many of our Board members are continuing their positions, while some are letting them go. Although, I will miss their presence next year, I recognize all their hard work and commitment to our chapter this year. I recognize and respect this balance of holding on and letting go. You can find the 2019 Board slate announcement in our September/October newsletter and I will also announce it at our September networking meeting, as well. SFV-CAMFT members will have the opportunity to vote for the 2019 Board slate, as well, during the October membership meeting, per our chapter bylaws.

Looking forward to seeing you all in our networking meeting on September 23!! At this meeting, Nabil El-Ghoroury will present updates on the current status of state and federal legislation affecting licensed Marriage and Family Therapists.

Nazila Amighi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Sherman Oaks. She applies her skills in Narrative Therapy, Encounter-centered Couples Therapy, Trauma Resiliency Model, Attachment theory, a certified premarital counselor through Prepare/Enrich, and Clinical Aggression Replacement Training. She also Co-facilitated court-referred anger management groups. Her expertise is working with couples, premarital counseling, and the problems that is common with cultural differences in relationships. Nazila came to the United States 36 years ago from Iran. That experience gives her unique insight into her client's challenges as they assimilate in terms of both language and culture. She is fluent in English and Farsi and provides clinical consultation to other therapists navigating cross-cultural issues. Learn more about Nazila Amighi by visiting her website at www.nazilaamighi.com. She can be reached at 310.927.0194 or email her at nazilaamighi@gmail.com.